Silent Hell
by ReconditeAgony
Summary: After Cody Rhodes' return and Imigie's second success at retaining the WWE Women's Championship, Damien Sandow and AJ Lee come back with vengeance to take the World Heavyweight Championship, Women's Championship, and the Mixed Tag Team Championships. Imigie is ready for a challenge more dangerous than ever before but can she stand tall again? (B-4)
1. Preface

The cell brought in a different kind of pain, one that I had never imagined that I would remember so well. It was an intense fight not just for the division, but for the entire crowd to watch.

I didn't even attempt the brush off the pain. That was not what I stood for. I would fight through the pain. The pain would haunt me but it wouldn't faze me enough to slow me down. It was enough to keep me determined.

I turned to her. She was struggling to get back on her feet, as if she had finished a long marathon run. Through the pain I saw in her eyes, she gave me a cunning and evil smile.

I caught my breath as I slowly stood up, not willing to risk possibly falling. Man said this was a dangerous match and there was no reason to deny it.

Every ounce of pain shooting through my body gave me new reminders about the dangers of this match. I could even tell through the worried voices of our tag partners.

Despite this, I had no desire to give in. I kept to my true intentions. I was here to fight and no one could tell me otherwise. A fight was my deepest desire, even when it pierced through with the fresh and raw wounds to follow.

That was went I positioned myself to charge at the woman who taunted me. She made it so easy to play with her mind games on her former best friend but I wasn't going to allow her to get to me. Not today.

It was time for a fight. I was ready. No reason to unready myself. The damage may have already been done but it was my turn to do the damage, and it would hurt the woman like never before.


	2. Broken

*Imigie's POV*

Here it was. Just two weeks before Hell In A Cell. A short timetable. Just two Raws and two Smackdowns away. It was Raw.

I just stood there in the guerrilla of the arena, staring at the wall and keeping a tight hold of the WWE Women's Championship and the women's half of the Mixed Tag Team Championship against my chest.

Most said that staring at the wall could make you tear up and possibly start crying.

For me, it didn't. Instead, it kept me focused. That was how I was striving in the two divisions that I was fighting in. It kept me from losing my sanity.

This was why I was the face of the women's division. I took deep pride in how a hero and an anti-hero were meant to be. It was the one and only thing that I stood for and no one could even try to pull me away from it.

Most say that I should be happy and celebrate last night's victory against Nikki Bella. It was an accomplishment to retain.

Most say that I should be more than happy over the return of Cody Rhodes, even though I was able to manage on my own.

Yes, I was happy over both things but that didn't mean that I would just stop and celebrate. My job wasn't done. I had to keep my head focused, heading towards Hell In A Cell, wondering who my opponent would be.

I still didn't regret tossing away the Divas Championship, mostly because the look of it hardly did me any good. Most would baby it or just hold as a prop. I held it like a prize that I had fought for but I knew that it served no more value to me after Summer Slam.

I just let my thoughts keep me focused. This was what a champion was suppose to do. Right?

I had to convince myself that. It was what kept my head in the right place for good reason. All the events that lead up to today was what kept my head in place.

From battling Natalya, to losing a Divas title match against Kaitlyn, to losing against Cody Rhodes, to losing yet another Divas title match.

Those were the slumps in my path that taught me that even through the pains and sorrows, I would wake up and allow them to keep me stronger.

Maybe that was why I had heard so many had taken great gratitude to me being a champion. They saw that I had used my scars and sorrows as an advantage.

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when I heard footsteps walking towards me. I turned away from the wall to see an old enemy, AJ Lee was skipping towards.

I tensed up slightly when I saw her. I knew exactly why she came and what she wanted.

"Enjoy that title reign while you can," she laughed. "Because my baby is coming home to me."

I didn't hesitate to give her a hard glare before saying anything. So many things about her always seemed to hit me the wrong way, ever since she disappeared from her friendships and resorted to dating top superstars. She was cocky, cowardly, manipulative, and psychotic (if crazy was the word that I wasn't allowed to use in front of her but this time, I didn't care).

Despite my tiny frame, AJ seemed rather scared of me. Intimidating, wasn't I? Yes, I was. The typical hero formula wasn't what worked for me.

The silence greeted us before I said a word.

"Your baby?" I gasped.

Was I hearing that correctly? Or was I too deep in my thoughts earlier that I must have heard wrong?

"The chances you stand against taking it back is close to zero," I continued, my voice turning hard. "You've lost once against me alone at Summer Slam. You may have been able to mask your anguish against Kaitlyn but you proved it once and you certainly will prove against that you're not fooling me. I've seen your journey. You've left behind your most valuable friendships for top superstars and you blame your former best friend for it!"

I let one hand go but kept the other holding the two titles I had close to my chest. I was fighting the urge to slap her because of how much her journey had troubled me. She was once so innocent to me. What happened?

"And don't even get me started on why you decided to come back again!" I shouted, pointing my finger at her. "You've done nothing but cling to others for what you've accomplished! I, on the other hand, had scratched and clawed my way to get to this point but I'm not finished! We will finish this discussion face to face in the ring with one word to follow!"

I didn't let her say anything else when I walked away to hide between several soundboards. Right now, I needed to get back in my focus zone. If AJ interrupted me again, there would be no way she would have the ability to fight back.

I heard footsteps again. At first, I thought it was AJ again but when I looked up, it actually ended up being my tag partner, Cody Rhodes.

"You seem rather focused," he said teasingly.

I didn't hold back a quiet giggle when he said this. It was always kind of funny when he teased about how I prepared for what was going to happen, being deep in my thoughts.

"Our mission isn't over yet," I replied, surprised at how quiet I sounded. "AJ has come back, thinking that she could attempt to manipulate me after failing once but I told her off."

He was silent for a moment before saying anything.

"AJ, that's AJ for you. I knew she was trouble. That was why I seemed so lost before tagging along with you."

I gave him a small smile before it was time to head to the ring. AJ and Damien were already there and I knew why.

*AJ Lee's POV*

"WWE Universe, Damien Sandow and I have come out here to ask for one thing," I said. "We want our titles. I want to hold the Women's Championship as my new baby and Damien wants to finally hold the World Heavyweight Championship! Also, we want those mixed tag titles!"

"You're welcome!" Damien shouted.

I let out a quiet giggle, not just over Damien saying that. I had also taken care of something that neither Cody, Imigie, nor even Damien knew about.

Ever since something new was introduced, I was almost furious that Imigie seemed like she was trying to change something. I knew that the show Total Divas was now a thing and Imigie hadn't even said anything about joining it or not to anyone who asked, which no one even asked her if she was joining or not.

Only one thing that was introduced was left to be spared. Nothing else would stick around to survive. The Divas Championship was gone forever and I had planted my revenge by leaving a mess backstage, which I was surprised that no one had noticed yet.

However, I didn't want to tell Imigie about the mess that I had left shortly before I went to the ring. I didn't even want to tell Damien. This mess was something that I wanted to keep for myself until someone had noticed it.

I had warned Stephanie not to go on to have those other prizes that were made because I wanted them for myself. I guess it was a partial lie and partial truth.

We almost would've had Total Divas verses what I called the "true Divas" but of course, that girl didn't want to take either side. She was more determined to pick her own path.

She was also mad at me because I was hanging out with other superstars and then getting my heart broken. I wanted nothing more than for me to recreate my friendship with her but she refused because she saw me as someone who used dating guys as a way to get to the top. Then at the same time, she was wrestling a bunch of guys.

I wondered if she would find out what I had done but I had to put myself back into reality. I would leave the daydreaming for after the segment.

Then that mashed-up theme song turned on as the crowd cheered loudly.

Damien and I turned to see Cody and Imigie walking into the arena as I tilted my head to the side, an almost twisted smile showing on my face.

I wondered about what kind of new tactic I could use to manipulate Imigie. I had failed before, especially when I tried to coming to Summer Slam but then ultimately failing to retain my title.

I had to think of something new or else I would be sure that she would defeat me again.

The funny part was that she was shorter than me but it was almost scary for me to watch her face the guys when they were twice her size.

She was much an equivalent to Kaitlyn but something about her was different from Kaitlyn. Even when I first faced her one on one, I had been unable to pinpoint exactly what it was that made her so different from Kaitlyn that wasn't the obvious.

Maybe whatever that was that must be why I had been unable to crack Imigie in the first place but I vowed to crack her head this time.

Sure, I was able to crack her partially back at Money In The Bank but cracking her fully just wasn't successful. She was tougher than any women I had faced in the past so underestimating her due to her tiny size wasn't an option, even though I was tiny, myself.

It was just a matter of watching these two come and tell us exactly what they were here for. I just waited so that I wouldn't cause any form of disturbance. I wanted to hear what they had to say.

They had just finished walking into the ring as their music stopped playing. The crowd still cheered though, much to my annoyance.

It wasn't long before I realized that Imigie would speak.

"AJ?" she said, eyeing me in a questioning way. "You has a request that you want these titles that I'm holding right now?"

I nodded, trying hard not to smile because I knew she would be suspicious.

"I have something to ask you first before we accept your request," she said.

I gulped when I heard her say this. Was she going to ask about the damage that I had left earlier? Had she already seen it?

"I was aware that there was no tournament for those other titles in the women's division," she said, her voice was shaking with concern. "Do you know why that happened?"

I swallowed hard as I fought to find the right words to say.

"I don't know why," I said, hoping that I sounded convincing enough. "If you want any questions about that, you might have to ask Stephanie."

She looked agonized for about a moment before she gave a nod, acknowledging that she believed me.

"Very well," she said.

She turned to Cody then nodded to him. I didn't know why though.

"Since you're both so hell bent on wanting the Mixed Tag titles," Cody said, inching closer to me and Damien. "Imigie and I had discussed about how we would defend our titles and we have made it clear. We'll defend our titles against you two in a Hell In A Cell match at Hell In A Cell!"

The crowd cheered loudly as Damien and I looked at each other, eyes wide with shock. Never did I realize that they would fight in that degree.

We turned back to Cody and Imigie and this time, Damien spoke.

"You want your Hell In A Match? You got it! You're welcome!"

The crowd cheered again as Cody and and Imigie turned to walk away out of the arena. Now I had a feeling that they would later notice the damage I had left for them to see.

*Imigie's POV*

Cody and I were now backstage as we were about to separate so that he could head for the men's locker room while I headed for the women's locker room.

I was now heading down the hall of the backstage area. It was quiet which kinda terrified me a bit but I pushed myself ahead of that.

It wasn't very far of a distance that I walked when I felt a crunch under my boots. I stopped in surprise then took a step back to notice what I had stepped on.

I noticed that there were lots of pieces of what looked to be a broken crown.

I frowned in confusion but I was determined to look at what exactly was going on.

One piece ended up sticking up to me. I picked up the piece to examine it more closely and my heart almost sunk when I saw it.

The familiar shape of what it looked to be a much smaller replica of the women's championship and what looked to be attached to a piece of a crown. I remembered this crown. It was the crown that Trish Stratus had left for us at Night of Champions.

I just stared at the broken piece, my mind was racing, my heart was sinking, and I felt the air hitch in my throat.

I tried to process what this was about but I realized I couldn't look at it anymore. If I did, I would be more scared and hurt than how I was before.

Frustrated, I threw the piece down then headed to the women's locker room. I had so many questions about what I had just saw.

I wanted to think it was an accident but I realized that it didn't look to be an accident. Now I had to figure who did it and who was going to pay for it.

I quickly went into the women's locker room then changed into my street clothes then left the locker room, taking my suitcase with me.

I couldn't stop thinking about the broken pieces of the crown I saw earlier. I had remembered some of the other girls admiring the crown, especially Kaitlyn. I saw it as something that we don't need our view the show as something to unite the heels on the show as faces and making the faces not on the shoe as heels. The crown meant so much for the division. Trish has left it in the women's locker room and we all took pictures, I still had them on my phone. Seeing the crown broken just made me go into deep questioning.

I shook my head and continued to head my way to my car until I was stopped by someone.


	3. Turned It Down

*Imigie's POV*

Kevin Dunn.

My mind went numb when I saw him. He was one of the few who wasn't so keen to push me to be one of the top stars. He didn't think I had the "Diva look" but it was Dusty Rhodes who had insisted on having me be signed.

I expected Kevin to look maybe slightly less than pleased at his nicest state but instead, he wasn't wearing that expression. It was different, something I had never expected.

There was a smile on his face but it wasn't a small one. It was a big smile. His eyes has lightened up.

It was surprising to see the same man who wasn't exactly impressed with me look this happy at seeing me.

"Imigie, I used to have very little faith in you but honestly, you amaze me," he complimented. "Dusty was right after all to have you signed. And we thought AJ Lee was someone we weren't impressed with at first. You used to be in that case as well. I just didn't think you would fit in well with the other women back then."

He gave me a look that told me that he knew exactly what he was talking about. I wasn't going to argue with the next thing that he was going to say.

"You kinda impressed me during your match against Natalya," he continued. "But, after that, I wasn't sure how you'd be able to impress me. It wasn't until your match against Cody Rhodes when you really impressed me. I could see your potential. That was why we had you win the Divas Championship and then the Women's Championship. Dusty even thinks that you might become Diva of the year this December. That's how much you've impressed everyone. Even though you're considered superstars now, we're still pulling the Diva card for this."

I nodded as I listened carefully to his words.

"However, I came to ask you something," he said. "We're already working on season two of Total Divas and I'm asking if you'd like to join. I think this will make you a hit as well even though you're already getting lots of love from the crowd."

That was a question I wasn't expecting to hear. I had heard of it before and even watch at least two episodes but I couldn't be bothered to pull in any interest.

Sure, it may be a great opportunity but I had fears about it as well. I worried that it would dwindle me down as a character. I liked having my own sense of style and that wasn't going to change.

"You know, I thank you for the opportunity," I said. "But, I'm gonna be honest. This isn't the right path for me. I want to focus on my career, considering that I am the Women's Champion."

Kevin gave a nod like he understood but I was sure that deep down, he was a little upset. Not that I hated the show but it just wasn't my rightful path.

"Perhaps a heel turn for you like what we might have to do with Kaitlyn?" he asked.

My eyes widened when I heard this. Sure, I wasn't a bad heel but Dusty saw me shining at my brightest as a face.

"That's a good thought but I've been told that I'm better as a face," I said convincingly. "A natural anti-hero, to be specific. You're forgetting the ones in between the good and evil."

Kevin looked surprised for a few moments then smiled.

"You know, I'll arrange that," he said. "Hunter says that we don't get very many anti-heroes here at all, let alone a female one. Also, we might be debuting one soon. But alright. You want to stand on your own path, that's fine."

"I want to fight for what's good," I said. "But I have no desire to do it with the Total Divas. Sure, it's great to see the other girls take that opportunity but it just isn't right for me."

Kevin nodded then walked away, leaving me alone in the middle of the hall.

I felt proud and had no regrets about what I had just done. I had just turned down the offer to join Total Divas. I was scared of it damaging me so I kept to my true self.

Now I was really ready to show that being at the top of the division meant so much more than just being pushed. The meaning was much deeper and perhaps, there would be another taste of it.

It was now two Smackdowns and one Raw away from Hell In A Cell. Imagining the mixed tag title belt match, itself, was scary. I was sure that soon, I would get the "be careful" comments because AJ and I were the first females in the PG era to set foot in a Hell In A Cell match and we've seen enough of those matches to see how dangerous it was.

I wasn't scared of the match, it was just scary. I was short and already having to prepare myself to put my entire body out on the line for a match that I assumed would keep AJ from cowering away.

I was already imagining the worried cries of our tag partners while AJ and I were fighting to stay in the match. Even though the match was a scary step, I was willing to risk it to show a new level of my message.


	4. Reflection

*Cody Rhodes' POV*

It was Smackdown and I had a match against Wade Barrett as the second match of Smackdown. And of course Damien was on commentary.

Ever since the challenge to a hell in a cell match, I was both excited and nervous. It was all two different reasons that were able to connect to the core reasoning.

I was excited because I was going to compete in a hell in a cell match for the mixed tag championship. I was ready.

Despite that, I was also nervous for Imigie and AJ, them being the first women to step into a match like this. It was scary and I was sure that anyone who had stepped into a match like this would have to warn them about the dangers. However, the one person who I suspected would take it lightly was AJ. Imigie on the other hand showed that she was being serious about preparing for it.

I had seen the matches but even I didn't feel comfortable being the one to warn Imigie about the match. The thought made me uneasy and I hoped someone else would do it. I just didn't have have the heart to do it.

I just waited for when my match would be next so that I could push my fears and worries in the back.

*Imigie's POV*

I had just finished getting my makeup done as I mentally prepared for my match against Layla.

Despite that, I knew that most of my matches leading up to the hell in a cell match we're going to be massively tame, compared to the actual match on that Pay-Per View.

The thought put my mind at agonizingly uneasiness. Maybe it was because AJ and I were going to be the first women to step into a match like this.

And I was surely positive that AJ would try to challenge me back for the Women's Championship. Two championships to be defended against the same person, again, not that it bothered me.

I was only uneasy about the match itself. I was most positive that I was going to be warned about the dangers of a match with the cell, even though I had seen many of these matches in the past.

Now I really had to study these matches. I knew it wouldn't be easy but it was difficult for me to imagine myself in such a match like this where I was left in the absolute grueling pain unimaginable.

Despite that, it made perfect sense. It was a new story to fit me as a fighter, as someone who had to scratch and claw their way to get to the top. The title match would be the icing on the cake with a raw kick to it. It defined me as a greater threat to the division.

The hell in a cell match.

It meant pain. It meant agony. It meant passion. It meant blood. It meant sweat. It meant tears. It meant a war.

It was a fight.

It was the next step as to why I would remain the Women's Champion. It wouldn't make me a dominator if I had to plow through the rest of the division. It meant that they weren't ready for someone who had to fight to become the champion.

I even had to fight my way to become the Divas Champion before I no longer considered it a use.

Then the one thing I saw this past Monday ran into my head, stopping me in my tracks. The broken pieces. I was determined to figure out who actually tore it apart, who left it completely broken.


	5. It's On

**Hey guys! I know it's been a long time since you last seen a chapter for this and I'm sorry for that. Been in a bit of a writer's block with this one as well as putting my focus on oneshots. I'll try to create a balance of working on oneshots and then these stories.**

 **And also, I do have an interesting plan for this story so be on the lookout for that!**

…

*Imigie's POV*

It was now my match against Wade Barrett. A lot of things were now running through my head as I waited patiently. The way how Cody seemed to be recently at my participation in the hell in a cell match raised more than enough questions in my head. I wasn't the naive type, so I made sure to keep my suspicions on high alert in case if Cody was actually planning a plot to somehow cost me the match at Hell in A Cell.

Two of the biggest questions that I had was ringing in my head. Did Cody think that someone of my size was worthy of trying to pull through a match like this? Did Cody think that maybe I should've joined Total Divas after all?

My answers to these were very clear and that Cody would have to deal with it. One, the division had gone through hell before getting this kind of match and the fight for a better women's division was something I was all in for. We were far from the mud fights and pudding matches and there were more women to come in the future. Second, there was no way I had a desire to join Total Divas. I wanted to keep my journey in the front of my mind and to be able to still climb through the walls without needing shortcuts.

Unsurprisingly, I found out that AJ was on commentary and she would have Damien with her, also on commentary.

I had suspected that AJ was still fuming about no longer being a champion but there was one thing that she did that I swore I would never do. Taking shortcuts to reach to the top.

A woman trying to win a prize would never take shortcuts. Instead, she goes through the pain and the obstacles that try to block her path. In the end, the scars and the blood pouring from her skin would be worth it. There was no such thing as walking out of a fight unscathed.

I was most positive that walking out of Hell in A Cell unscathed was something that wouldn't happen. I expected scars, physical, emotional, and mental scars. Those were what created a champion. That was the only reason why I was the Women's Champion at the top of the still considered Divas division.

Despite this, I began to have sudden thoughts about what had recently happened between me and Cody. Was Cody really having doubts about how long I would stand in the match?

I shuddered at these thoughts when I looked up see Cody walk up to me, shaking his head. My eyes flashed with shock when I saw him, the events still ringing in my head vividly.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I was just wanting to wish you good luck on your match," he replied quietly.

I nodded.

"Alright," I said. "I'll take your word for it. But I'm still keeping my suspicions high."

He nodded then walked off, leaving me alone again.

I turned to what was in front of me, now completely focused on walking into this match.

*Third Person POV*

"The following women's division match is scheduled for one fall!" boomed Lillian Garcia. "Introducing first, from Austin, Texas, one half of the WWE Mixed Tag Team Champions and the WWE Women's Champion, Imigie!"

The WWE Women's Champion came out to thundering cheers. A few fans had taken to singing the beloved theme song of the current Women's Champion, but they were barely audible over the cheers.

Imigie noticed that there was an unexpected visitor looking at the ring from the ramp. The soft wavy blonde hair and the gear was all too familiar to her.

Natalya.

"What is Natalya doing here?" asked Michael Cole.

"I think she's secretly out here in support for Imigie," replied Jerry Lawler.

Michael shrugged, looking at Jerry

"Who knows?" asked John Bradshaw Layfield.

No answer came from Jerry nor Michael. No one knew what to say about this.

However, Imigie was in for a bigger surprise when she noticed Tyson Kidd just now walking his way to Natalya. Imigie was rather confused but gave a careful glance to Tyson, just to make sure he wasn't about to cause some funny business.

AJ and Damien from the commentary table were most surprised. Neither of them had expected Tyson and Natalya to be here. And AJ had hoped that she would get her rematch with only Imigie. No Total Divas involved.

Natalya quickly got into the ring then walked up to give a handshake to Imigie. Imigie's eyes widened with surprise and she had a feeling this was just an act to try to get Natalya's respect, only to take a different turn.

"No," said Imigie in a firm, deadpan tone.

Natalya gave a disappointed look but then nodded, as if she understood what the Women's Champion was trying to say. The Canadian woman turned away for a moment and gave the impression that she was pondering. After that, she turned to Imigie then gave her a ruthless slap to the face. The crowd gasped in surprise at seeing this happen.

Imigie seemed surprised by the slap but she just laughed at the action. Despite this, she wasn't amused by Natalya's act of "respect" towards her. She did reply with a hard punch to the face of Natalya.

Seeing this as a chance to jump in, AJ Lee quickly got off her seat then ran after the two brawling women. It was a war.

"Oh my god! These three at it! But, why would Natalya be here?" said Michael.

No one answered him, but the brawl was still commencing. Both Tyson and Damien just remained them, some could assume that they were contemplating on whether to try to ease down the tension.

After a few moments, the two men quickly ran into the ring to hold back their partners. Damien held AJ back while Tyson held back Natalya. Imigie though was alone without Cody Rhodes.

Natalya was given a microphone then she turned to both AJ and Imigie with eyes of steel. It was almost like she was wanting to fight these two women again. However, she didn't.

"Alright, I'll go ahead and answer your questions as to why I'm here," she said. "I'm here because I want that Women's title."

She pointed to the WWE Women's Championship title on Imigie's left shoulder (from Natalya's view), eyes widening with desperation.

"Tyson and I want those Mixed tag titles!" added Natalya, turning to the WWE Mixed Tag Championship title, that being the women's half.

Imigie, who was not here for fooling around and had enough of nonsense, took the microphone from Natalya's hands then gave a cunning grin. It was one that showed that she didn't want anyone to mess with her, one that maybe Natalya was regretting to see, given the slap from earlier.

"You want these?" asked Imigie in an icy tone. "Come Hell in A Cell and you're gonna be here for one hell of a treat."

She turned to AJ who just stared with a mischievous grin on her face. Imigie pondered for a moment before turning back to Natalya.

"You'll also be with this crazy witch—"

That managed to set AJ off as she shoved the WWE Women's Champion. Imigie replied with a punch to the face and then, it got explosive from here. The brawl between the three women began again. This time, the men were having a harder time trying to pull their partners away.

However, after quite a bit of struggling, Tyson and Damien were able to pull Natalya and AJ away from the Women's Champion.

"Let them fight! Let them fight!" chanted the crowd loudly.

Damien and Tyson looked at each other, their eyes of steel lingering deep within each other. They were ready to fight each other but they had to hold back their partners before another brawl would've broken out.

They all turned to the titantron when they heard familiar music play in the arena. It was Cody Rhodes who was holding both the World Heavyweight title and the men's half of the Mixed tag titles. He ran all the way to the ring then stood behind Imigie.

All six competitors stared at each other as if they were ready to rip each other apart. No one knew who would be the first to strike and who would be the one to be hit.

After a few seconds, it was AJ who made the first strike to Imigie. Imigie didn't look very amused as she hit AJ in the chest with her titles.

After that, the brawl commenced again. While the women were brawling against each other, the three men were brawling against each other. It was quite an explosive war to put it lightly.

This went on until several referees had to interfere, pulling all six wrestlers away from each other. Each had eyes of still with brutally cunning smiles. No one even dared to speak.

Even though there was only one more week until Hell in A Cell, this was just the beginning of a vehement war. The climax was just over a week away, but the tension was already at boiling point and it would only get worse at Hell in A Cell.


	6. Face to Face to Face

**Hey guys! Here's another chapter to this. Last chapter until the Hell in a Cell chapters. To be completely honest with you, those will be fun chapters. One of the chapters will have something interesting happen. I won't say anything else. Just enjoy this chapter!**

…

*Imigie's POV*

It was the final Smackdown until Hell in a Cell. I couldn't believe that it was only just two weeks before the next event would take place. It was exciting and nerve-wrecking at the same time.

I was currently standing in the guerrilla, knowing that I was going to have a little talk with AJ and Damien, along with Natalya and Tyson.

Of course Cody would be there too, it was just that I had to keep my eye on him. Ever since he mentioned that I wasn't ready for the kind of match we had signed up for, I had to make sure he wasn't doing anything stupid. I was serious about the matches and he couldn't take that away from me.

The two titles on my left shoulder were quite significantly weighing me down a bit and caused my shoulder to ache a bit from the weight of the titles, but that didn't matter to me. I was more concerned with making sure the last talk before Hell in a Cell was worth it.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard footsteps coming towards me. I turned to see it was Cody, who seemed a little concerned. I managed to stifle back a laugh even though his concern over me was becoming too ridiculous to hear about. I knew more than enough about this hell in a cell match. I did my research and I was willing to do more, just for extra preparation for the match.

Cody though didn't seem convinced to hide his worry that he raised his eyebrow as he watched me nearly laugh at him.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing," I replied quickly.

He nodded before turning away from me. I turned away from him also. The recent growing tension between us as a tag team was more than unwanted here, but I was determined to make sure that this face to face to face would be worth the hype.

A producer close by tapped on my shoulder, signaling it was time for me and Cody to head out to the arena. I acknowledged this with a nod, then turned to Cody to let him know. He nodded in acknowledgement.

Our music turned on as we walked to the arena to the usual cheers. I smiled at the crowd, barely making eye contact with Cody. I didn't want to have any drama heading to Hell in a Cell. This day was no exception.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the World Heavyweight Champion and first half of the Mixed Tag Team Champions, Cody Rhodes. Also, the second half of the Mixed Tag Team Champions and the WWE Women's Champion, Imigie."

It wasn't long before Cody and I got in the ring and our music stopped playing. We were both handed microphones by a nearby referee who I thanked.

Cody was about to speak but I hushed him in a firm but calm way. I wasn't going to be silenced but I wasn't going to cause any drama either. Right now, it was time to get on with it.

"I'll do the talking," I said to Cody.

He nodded, but he looked somewhat shocked.

I turned away from him then got ready to speak.

"Alright, I got quite a lot to say," I said into the microphone. "Yes, you did see Cody return to watch me retain these."

I gestured to the titles, causing cheers to erupt in the arena. I smiled briefly before dropping it.

"And yes, at Hell in a Cell, the Mixed Tag titles and the Women's title will both be defended," I continued. "However, it's the Mixed Tag titles that will be defended inside of the cell."

The crowd cheered again at me saying this. This had to prove to Cody that this match was more than welcomed for any woman, let alone me, Natalya, and AJ.

"And you're probably wondering about my thoughts about accepting Natalya and Tyson's insertion in the match," I continued. "Honestly, I am more than welcome to allow them to come here. We'll be ready—"

Familiar music suddenly interrupted me, and I turned to see it was Natalya and Tyson Kidd. I smirked at them as they came down the ramp, but they also had microphones in their hands. This was going to be interesting.

Their music stopped playing and I saw it was Natalya who was about to speak.

"Alright, settle your tea kettle," she said as she and Tyson got in the ring. "You seem a little too eager about our match, Im."

I rolled my eyes amusedly, trying to hold back a chuckle. The statement from Natalya seemed quite wrong and I was going to make it clear to her.

"I think you've got overeager and confident mixed up," I replied. "I'm confident because I did my part. Hope you did too, considering that we'll be in the ring against this savior of the masses dude and the crazy witch—"

I was once again interrupted when I heard new music play. I turned to see it was Damien Sandow and AJ Lee. This was going to be interesting and if it ended in a brawl, I wouldn't even care.

Both superstars had microphones and to my surprise, it was Damien that was about to speak.

"Excuse me, what did you just call her?" he asked in an irritated tone, gesturing to AJ.

I had been so lost in my studying for the cell match that I had forgotten that calling AJ the "c" word would easily set her off. However, despite that, I didn't care so much than I used to. AJ didn't scare me.

"Just get your asses in the ring and then we'll talk it out," said Cody, motioning for Damien and AJ to come in.

"As if this'll end in a very civil manner," I added sarcastically.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Cody on the verge of chuckling from my sarcasm. I didn't blame him at all.

"Alright, shut up," said AJ, standing tall despite her petite size. "Let's first discuss the women's title."

She pointed to the title that was still on my shoulder. I rolled my eyes again.

"Congratulations for pointing out the title you want, AJ," butted in Natalya. "But you won't be taking it back. And Imi here won't be retaining it. It will go to me."

"Ha, you think?" I said. "You can try, but you're damn wrong. I have fought my way to get to where I am and I sure as hell won't be putting that all to waste."

My next words were about to be quite biting and I knew how firm I would get.

"And you know what?" I said again. "It takes a whole lot more to be a champion than being part of a famous wrestling family and skipping from top guy to top guy to date."

I heard a round of audible gasps in surprise. After that, everything grew silent. It seemed like no one knew what to say, it surprisingly didn't last too long.

"Holy shit!" cried an audience member. "Did she just shade Cody Rhodes too?"

What followed was small group of guffaws that were still loud enough for me to hear. I almost couldn't stifle back a chuckle, the thought of possibly shading my own tag team partner was brutal, though I was mostly directing it to Natalya.

Everyone dropped their microphones and after that, I dropped my microphone. Shortly after that, Cody and I dropped our titles. It was on.

It started off as death glares to our opponents. No one spoke, no one tried anything to set someone else off. It was only stares.

However, it was hilariously short-lived when it was AJ who decided to hit me. I turned to her then smirked at how foolish of a move she made.

I answered with a punch to the chest. That was when the brawl began. Everyone switched back and forth on who they were attacking. I could see the guys brawling each other from the corner of my eye, but only briefly.

I turned my direction back to the other two women then continued to brawl with them. It lasted for about a minute until AJ was the first to step away. Natalya and I did the same, the angry glares were still there though.

"This is wicked!" chanted the crowd.

I didn't blame them. One discussion about the women's title turned into a big brawl. No one spoke and maybe, it was a good thing that no one would speak. This was getting crazy, but I knew that I had to do what was best. Wait patiently for Hell in a Cell to be able to show exactly what I had in mind. I was sure that the others probably had similar thoughts.

The next and final step, Hell in a Cell.


	7. It's Begun

*Third Person POV*

It was Hell in a Cell and everyone was excited for it. As usual, there were various discussions on which match on the card would be the best. There were many theories and predictions being put out. However, the real intentions to happen were ones that were not thought of.

The three matches that were being put into place in this story were spread out, so to not put them back to back. The Women's title match was going to be one of the first matches, the World Heavyweight title match was one of the middle matches, and the Mixed Tag titles were one of the last matches.

The excitement in the arena was intense, considering that the matches that were receiving most excitement were the women's title match, the World Heavyweight title match, and the Mixed Tag title match.

It was just minutes before the event officially begun and at the time, word had gotten out that the women's title match would end up opening the show. Though no one directly shouted it, there were still plentiful of rumblings of excitement from the audience, seeing one of the three matches connected to one big feud getting to open the show was exciting.

"Holy shit," said one audience member at ringside to his friends. "The women's match is really opening the show. Who's your pick? I'm going for Imigie."

"Same here," said a woman next to him. "She's basically a fan favorite."

— — —

Backstage, a black Ford pickup truck had just pulled up in the parking lot. After a few seconds, the car's engine was turned off and the driver's side of the door opened.

The person who walked out of it managed to surprise several people and the cheers went on. It was Imigie, wearing black leather pants, black sneakers (it appeared she ditched the Converse and the combat boots), black shirt, and a black leather jacket. Her hair bounced a bit from her jumping out of the truck, but it wasn't of elegance. It was of boldness.

She turned to the door behind the driver's door to get something from the seat. After that, she shut the door as she carried the Women's Championship and the woman's half of the Mixed Tag Team Championship. She had a bold and confident look on her face. If anyone tried to faze her, she wasn't fazed.

What made this more surprising was that Cody Rhodes was nowhere near the raven-haired woman. Imigie was just by her lonesome, looking like she barely cared a bit, very likely because of her frustrations with Cody. In the back of her mind, she hoped that she could push them in the back so that she could focus on her matches.

The WWE Women's Champion barely walked a few feet when she was rudely interrupted.

"Excuse me, Imigie?"

She stopped then turned to the interviewer who was calling her name, softening her expression just by a sliver. She gave him a nod, gesturing him to ask her what question he had for her.

"We know tonight, you'll be defending the women's title and the mixed tag titles," the interviewer began. "However, with tensions building between you and Cody, do you have anything to say about that and what impact it could leave on the matches tonight?"

The woman in question furrowed her brow in bafflement, before a smirk sneaked up on her face. The interviewer was sure that Imigie was on the verge of laughing. Perhaps it was that the champ seemed unbothered by this question. Or maybe, the whole situation seemed to barely faze her, if at all.

After that, she changed her expression to a more serious expression. She was not here for nonsense.

"Let me make myself clear," she said in a very firm sounding tone. "That's not my main concern right now. My main concern is going out there and retaining these titles."

She gave a quick gesture to the titles with her head, heavily emphasizing that she was holding them.

The interviewer nodded, acknowledging that he knew what the woman he was interviewing was talking about. He just kept respectfully silent before he could say anything that could possibly set her off. Luckily for him, she looked back up at him and looked like she was about to speak again.

"You know what?" she continued. "It takes a hell lot of fight to have these titles. It'll take even more to keep them. If you're so worried about these recent disagreements, why don't you ask Cody. Thinking about that stuff is the last thing I want to do. Besides, I wouldn't even be surprised if he tries anything."

She fixed him with a glance.

"Regardless, all hell will break loose tonight," she finished, her voice turning low and hard.

With that said, the double women's champion walked away from the interviewer with a bold expression on her face. She was heading for the guerrilla.

—

It was time for Hell in a Cell. Everyone was excited for the first match to start, given the plentiful of cheers in the arena. Of course, they waited patiently before Michael Cole stopped talking for the first match to start.

Familiar music sounded the arena and a handful of boos erupted in it. The figure definitely rung a bell, given by the sight of her usual shorts, cut-up shirt, Converse, and her skipping.

"The following triple threat match is scheduled for one-fall and it is for the WWE Women's Championship! Introducing the first challenger, from Union City, New Jersey, AJ Lee!"

Some people were quick to notice that Damien Sandow didn't accompany her to the ring like before. To them, it sounded a bit fishy, but a few other audience members assured them that maybe, it's best for the women to come out on their own, same went for the men.

AJ quickly got into the ring then stood there, patiently waiting for the other two competitors. It seemed to her that this would be a rough night, given that she, along with the other two competitors, were having double duty tonight.

Not too long after AJ's music stopped playing, new music played, causing a mix of cheers and boos to be heard in the arena, then the familiar blonde woman with dyed pink strips in her hair came out. It was assumed that the cheers were to welcome this woman back into a PPV for a while, meanwhile, the boos were there to show that the audience was sure she was the bad girl.

"Introducing the second challenger, from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Natalya!"

The Canadian woman smiled to the audience as she walked down the ramp. Something began to surface in her mind, the fact that she was going to face Imigie again in the same PPV, given that she did the same thing last year.

Natalya's smile turned into a smirk as she quickly got into the ring, did her usual poses, then stood at the adjacent end of the ring to AJ. She was ready for the champion to enter the arena.

Natalya's music stopped playing as new music played into the arena, sounding all too familiar to the audience. Cheers erupted in the arena as fan-favorite petite raven-haired woman walked down the ring. However, the audience noticed that the clothes she was wearing was the same clothes she wore during her interview earlier before the show started. Even her entrance seemed to have changed. Instead of the usual scream and dipping back she usually did, she just kept walking down the arena with a bold and confident expression on her face.

"Introducing the champion, from Austin, Texas, she is the WWE Women's Champion, Imigie!"

The WWE Women's Champion continued walking down the ramp before she made it to the ring. The whole time, she made absolutely no sound. A few groups of fans turned to each other, seemingly surprised and heavily discussing this new bold look on Imigie. It was brief though because they knew the match would start in a matter of seconds.

Back in the ring, Imigie held the championship high in the air for the audience to see that she was the champion. Once again, no sound came out of her mouth. She then lowered the belt to her chest level. She buried her face in the belt before she spoke.

"I'm with you. I'll make sure you come back safe. I'll make sure I'll walk out with you when this is all over."

The raven-haired woman looked up to the referee who was standing beside her, patiently waiting for her to hand him the title belt. The young woman hesitantly handed him the title, knowing that now, her title was on the line. She knew that she was going to fight even harder than before if she wanted to keep it.

After handing the referee the title, Imigie turned to her two opponents, now ready to fight. Her music stopped playing, signaling that the match was going to start in seconds.

DING! DING! DING!

It was time to start the WWE Women's Championship match. The first one to make a move was Natalya who slapped AJ Lee in the face. AJ stood there in stunned silence for a few seconds, contemplating her reaction and what she should do.

The Black Widow of the division was about to get back at Natalya, but Imigie broke them up, giving AJ a German suplex. Natalya turned her attention to Imigie, contemplating her next move, however, decided that she would give the raven-haired woman a little taunting.

"Yeah!" yelled Natalya then gave a clothesline to Imigie.

AJ had gotten to her feet then turned to Imigie. She began to taunt the younger woman, screaming like how Imigie used to do in her old entrance.

Imigie wasn't amused by the ridiculous taunt. In a reply, she shoved AJ down hard to the floor then began punching her several times. AJ was screaming for a few seconds before Natalya broke them up, this time suplexing the Women's Champion.

Natalya went for the quick pin attempt, but Imigie was quicker to kick out, the former let out a chuckle, now realizing that she was in for a hard fight. It was her and two other women, one of them included the champion, and any chance of either competitor giving up in the next few minutes was extremely slim.

The Anvilette tried to think of her next plan, but AJ managed to surface up. AJ quickly gave Natalya a neckbreaker, then went to pin her. Natalya managed to kick out after only the first count, which wasn't entirely surprising to AJ.

AJ went for another neck breaker to Natalya then pinned her again. However, this time, before Natalya could kick out, Imigie came and pulled AJ from Natalya. Neither AJ nor Natalya noticed it coming and to many of the audience members, Imigie was quick to play possum.

Imigie gave AJ a European uppercut, then gave her a forearm, causing the latter to fall. Imigie began to furiously punch AJ for a while, seemingly still furious with the former Divas Champion.

Natalya tried to kick Imigie to interfere, but Imigie managed to counter Natalya's move with kick to Natalya's gut.

AJ has gotten up to her feet and noticed that Natalya was down. She just chuckled at the Canadian woman's pain, then stopped laughing when she turned to the current WWE Women's Champion. AJ could see that Imigie didn't look very amused at her reaction. What happened was just as dangerous as the latter's look on her face.

Imigie gave a hard-hitting clothesline to AJ out of frustration, then furiously began shoving AJ to the closest ring post. It seemed that this new wardrobe of the champion had managed to ignite a new attitude within her.

Natalya tried to interfere, but Imigie saw it coming and managed to give the Anvilette a scoop-up slam. Natalya was down at the moment.

The champion quickly turned to AJ then gave her an electric chair drop. AJ Lee was also down.

Imigie was the only woman now standing and quickly pondered who she could pin. She ran to AJ to pin her, but AJ kicked out at the two count. Imigie quickly ran to Natalya to pin her, but the Canadian woman kicked out at two.

AJ was the first to get back on her feet and jumped to Imigie, quickly getting success in transitioning into her famous submission, the Black Widow. The crowd was quick to boo in response.

The Women's Champion was slowly beginning to feel the burning pain, but she was desperate to find a way to get out of the submission without tapping out. It was now or never.

Quickly thinking, the raven-haired woman gave AJ a side backbreaker, forcing AJ to let go of her opponent. Imigie was now trying to relieve the burning sensation from her arm.

Natalya took her chance as she put AJ in the Sharpshooter submission move. AJ screamed as she felt the pain and tried to think of her options on if she should tap out or not.

Imigie, who was still trying to rub off the burning pain from her arm, gave a hard-hitting side kick to Natalya. Natalya fell to the floor, prompting Imigie's chance to pin her. Natalya kicked out at two.

Imigie rushed to AJ as quickly as she could then pinned her. AJ managed to kick out at the last moment.

Natalya quickly got a hold of Imigie's arm, the same arm that AJ targeted earlier, and went for an armbar. This managed to continue the damage on the champion's arm, though she wasn't amused.

"Are you kidding me?" she muttered to herself as she tried to think of a way to get out of the submission.

After a few moments, she rolled back, then picked up Natalya with the strength she had. She then did another side backbreaker to Natalya. The crowd cheered at the raw strength, power, and passion being displayed by the champion. She wanted so badly to keep her title and to prove her worth, and it very much showed here.

Now, the champion was once again trying to shake off the pain from earlier, now turning to AJ, who had just gotten back to her feet. The raven-haired woman prepared herself for another big move. She dashed towards AJ, delivering a spear to the former Divas Champion.

Imigie quickly went to pin AJ, but at the two count, Natalya came in for the save, pulling Imigie away from AJ.

Imigie managed to back on her feet, then quickly got onto the top rope. Natalya managed to chase after her, but before the Canadian woman could do anything, AJ quickly caught up with them.

Natalya quickly decided her next moves. She first pushed AJ down, then later gave Imigie a powerbomb.

The Anvilette quickly got down to pin Imigie, the latter managing to kick out at the last moment. Natalya was shocked, now wondering how she would ever be able to put the champion away, especially without having AJ trying to interfere.

Natalya just turned away, pondering away on what she could do next. AJ was still down so maybe, there could be a chance. She just had to think quickly.

However, unknown to Natalya, Imigie was now getting back to her feet, then quickly giving AJ a powerbomb before turning to Natalya. The Queen of Searing Sorrow didn't back down as she picked up Natalya then gave her a Samoan drop.

The champion was on fire, and she made it clear when she turned to the audience.

"That's why I'm the champion!" she shouted, then quickly went to pin Natalya.

Natalya kicked out at two and a half, leaving Imigie in a sliver of disbelief. Despite this, neither woman wanted to give up.

It was starting to look that now, Natalya and Imigie were getting more heated in this match than their one-on-one match last year in the same event. The two of them gave each other an intense stare down that lasted a few moments, until they heard footsteps despite the screaming from the audience.

Natalya and Imigie turned to their common enemy, AJ, then began taking turns brawling with crazy chick. Imigie was first, furiously shoving AJ once again, shedding out the last bit of their feud out there. After she was finished, she moved out of the way for Natalya to have a go at AJ.

Despite the two women being brutal with each other, Natalya and Imigie found common enjoyment in ordering AJ about.

Natalya pinned AJ, but at one, Imigie furiously pulled the Anvilette away from the Black Widow of WWE.

Natalya got to her feet, fuming at the current WWE Women's Champion. Another intense stare down flared up again between the two until Natalya slapped Imigie in face. The latter seemed to at first take it by surprise, but her expression changed to showing that she was less than amused at Natalya's actions.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Imigie slapped Natalya, harder than how she was hit. She quickly followed with a European uppercut, catching Natalya by surprise.

AJ quickly got back up to her feet then turned to her two opponents, quickly thinking on what she should do next. She first turned to Imigie, giving her two punches to the chest to at least slow her down. She then turned to Natalya then gave her a neck breaker. Natalya tried to get back up to her feet, but she was hit by AJ's finisher, the Shining Wizard.

AJ went to pin Natalya, but Imigie managed to pull AJ away from the latter at the two count. Imigie picked AJ up, then gave her a powerbomb.

AJ was out at the moment, so Imigie went to Natalya. The champion was just about to start another brawl with Natalya, when the Natalya grabbed the former by the same arm she had been previously targeted with, setting up another armbar.

Imigie was feeling the pain yet again, trying to think of ways to get out of it without tapping out. It felt like someone was pulling her arm out of her socket. Every time she struggled, the more intense the pain was getting. She was beginning to think that at this point, she would be forced to hold on until her arm got numb. Natalya was relentless.

Before the Women's Champion could make a move, AJ kicked Natalya hard, forcing the latter to let go of the raven-haired woman.

After taking a few seconds to recover, Natalya turned to AJ then gave her a discus clothesline, or what she called "Nattie By Nature," causing the former Divas Champion to fall.

The Anvilette was about to further the damage to AJ when Imigie came to her, delivering a European uppercut, then a spear. The cheers didn't stop from there.

Imigie turned to AJ, who was trying to get back on her feet. Thinking quickly, she positioned AJ in a position that even caught the commentators by attention. The next move the champion delivered, she could clearly hear the commentators, even over the thunderous cheers.

"Holy hell! Faith Breaker! The WWE Women's Champion just paid a tribute to former Divas Champion Michelle McCool with the Faith Breaker! Faith Breaker to AJ Lee!"

Much to everyone's surprise, the raven-haired woman wasn't finished with her dirty work. She picked up AJ, then positioned her in a submission, AJ's back leaning toward the champ's neck. This was the torture rack submission.

Much to Imigie's surprise and relief, Natalya seemed to show no signs of getting up any time soon, now motivating her to keep her hold on this submission.

AJ was screaming, quite baffled that it seemed like she was thrown in a new submission by the person she had lost her championship in the first place. She had only one choice.

AJ tapped the champion's shoulder, signaling the end of the match. It was over. Imigie has retained the WWE Women's Championship.

"Here's your winner by submission, and still the WWE Women's Champion, Imigie!"

The referee was quickly given the title, then he handed it to the still women's champion.

The crowd cheered loudly for their fan-favorite champion, as she smiled and soaked in the moment that now, she was still the champion. She knew that later, she would have to defend the Mix Tag titles with Cody, despite that they were having some issues.

After about a minute, Imigie quickly got out of the ring, still holding the Women's title high in the air. Relentless as she was with her changed wardrobe and demeanor, she was still beyond grateful for everyone standing by her.


	8. Final Homework

*Imigie's POV*

I had just walked backstage, yet the smile still hadn't broken away from my face. I couldn't believe I had retained the WWE Women's Championship, even at the times I had gotten close to losing it.

Despite how happy I was, I now knew I had to keep an eye on Cody Rhodes. I knew he had his match after the match between John Cena and Alberto Del Rio. Not just that, I was now keeping my eye on him if he was ready to fight hard to retain his title.

Cody and I had not talked to each other ever since the last Smackdown before Hell in a Cell. I was almost sure that it would be the ticket to several communication issues. However, I was determined to tell Cody that if he wanted to still hold on to the tag titles, he had to be on full understanding that our match would have risks and neither of us would be afraid to take. Also, I had to tell him that if we wanted to retain the titles, communication was crucial.

I was just about to turn to find Cody when-

"Excuse me, Imigie?"

I turned to see Renee Young standing there with a microphone in hand. Deciding that it was best to leave my word to her, I waited patiently for her question.

"Congratulations on retaining your title in a hard-fought match."

That didn't fail to make me smile. I was incredibly happy that I was still the champion, even with how much I had fought to keep it.

"What's going through your head right now?" asked Renee.

I wasted no time to reply.

"It's only just the beginning to the biggest fight of my career," I answered. "What you just saw out there is just simple preparation for the Hell in a Cell match that you will see soon. Just wait and see."

I turned away from Renee, then walked away to get on my mission before I got interrupted by Renee.

"Cody, where are you?" I hissed, looking around the backstage area for the man in question.

After frantically trying to look for him for five minutes, I found him in a private area in catering.

"You," I hissed to him. "We need to talk."

Cody looked up to me, eyeing me in surprise before following me to another private area, away from the catering area.

I stopped then turned to him with a serious expression on my face. I wasn't here to fool around.

"I need to tell you this," I said sternly.

"I watched your match earlier," said Cody. "That Faith Breaker and submission, you kicked ass out there."

I nodded, pleased that he acknowledged the match I had earlier, but I didn't change my expression.

"Thanks, but that's not why I pulled you over," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Listen for a second."

I paused to give Cody a moment to give me his full, undivided attention. He did.

"Alright," I began. "If you want to retain the titles as much as I do, then you have to accept that this match has risks and that I'm more than willing to take them. I've done my research and my homework, so let us have this moment. There are women in the locker room who want this just as bad as I do. Also, I know we haven't spoken since Smackdown, but we need to communicate as well if we want to retain those titles. But-"

I fixed Cody with a glance before finishing up what I was going to say.

"If you try anything that could cost us, don't expect me to go light."

With that said, I walked away to the women's locker room to watch other Hell In A Cell matches before I had to leave again for the Mixed title match.

— — — — —

I had been doing my last minute research on the match I was going to compete in later, that I had forgotten that Cody's match was on. Lucky for me, I didn't have to accompany him. It was best for us to give each other space, especially since things between us had gotten somewhat strained. The last thing either of us needed was to go off on each other over the smallest communication problems.

It was when I noticed Cody's Cross Rhodes from the corner of my eye that managed to get my attention. I couldn't be blamed. I had been incredibly focused on this match, given that we were getting closer to bringing in a new evolution. Also, I had recently heard about new women possibly coming soon, that it only fueled my focus that much more.

Cody pinned Damien, but Tyson axehandled Cody to break up the pin. I didn't hold back the small smirk on my face. I would've found it funnier, had Damien actually kicked out before Tyson could get in.

I barely paid attention to the commentary, as I was now carefully watching the match. By the looks of, it looked like the match was maybe closing in at its climax. Or maybe it was close to ending soon, I wasn't sure.

Cody let out a groan in what I could tell was frustration. I didn't know what had gotten into him recently. I had suspected that it was his mask, even though he wasn't acting this strange prior to the night when the challenge was issued. Looking at it now made me realize that it was more hideous than AJ at her craziest state.

Cody stood up then began to pace and forth in the ring. Even though Damien and Tyson were still down and slowly finding the courage to get back up, I couldn't help but guffaw at Cody's current strategy. I knew this would mean he would cost himself this match.

However, after a few more seconds of him pacing, Cody turned to Tyson then went to give him several punches. Much to my surprise, after the fifth punch, Tyson caught Cody then kicked him with authority.

Before Tyson could deliver another move, Damien got back up on his feet, then punched Tyson. Damien was about to deliver his finishing move, You're Welcome, Cody stopped Damien, delivering yet another Cross Rhodes. Luckily for Damien but unlucky for Cody, Tyson gave Cody a hard kick, then quickly positioned him for his own finishing move, the Sharpshooter. Cody tried to frantically get out of the submission, but Tyson was holding on as tightly as he could.

Cody was stuck in the submission. Damien was out and showed no signs of getting up any time soon, so Cody had to find a way out quickly before he would risk a greater chance of tapping out. I knew that was his only option, if he didn't want to risk losing his title.

Much to my shock and dismay, after staying stuck in the submission. Cody tapped the mat, signaling the end of the match. I knew what this meant. Cody was no longer the World Heavyweight Champion. Tyson was.

"Here is your winner by submission, and new World Heavyweight Champion, Tyson Kidd!"

I just watched in silence as the referee handed the title belt to Tyson. I could see the excited expression on Tyson's face and the disappointment on the faces of Damien and Cody.

"Well Cody," I finally said. "At least we still have the Mixed titles to defend left. I'm still the women's champion though."

After deciding that I was finished studying these matches and feeling more comfortable with what I was about to get myself into, I put my phone in my suitcase, grabbed my titles, then headed for the guerrilla to wait the two other matches before it was time to defend the Mixed Tag titles. However, something in the back of my mind told me that something could go wrong, and this had nothing to do with injuries.

 **...**

 **Hey guys. I know I kinda rushed through this chapter and that. I'm just excited to write the next and final chapter of the story. I have big plans for it, which I won't spoil. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and hang tight for the final chapter!**


	9. Hell Breaks Loose

*Third Person POV*

The audience had just got settled in their seats, for now, they knew it was time for the second to final match. They were ready for it.

Announcer Lillian Garcia had gotten into the ring, holding a microphone in her hand. The bell rung three times before she spoke.

"The following triple threat tag contest and it is for the WWE Mixed Tag Team Championships!"

Everyone held their breath as they patiently waited for who would be the first tag team to walk to the ring.

"Hallelujah!"

The crowd booed before taking a good look at who it was. It was AJ Lee and Damien Sandow. Damien still wearing a robe over his trunks, and AJ wearing her usual cut shirt which read: Love Life, along with her shorts and favorite Converse shoes. They were quick to enter the ring before the next team was ready.

The boos rang again as they saw the duo of Natalya and Tyson Kidd enter the ring. The two were clad in their usual pink and black for the Hart Dynasty.

New music hit, but it wasn't the usual theme song that played. Instead, it was Imigie's theme, and she came down the ramp alone. She was still dressed the same, except that she had a different shirt, reading "Fight for Your Life" in pink, showing that it was in support for breast cancer awareness.

New music turned on, it was Cody Rhodes. Usually, the crowd would cheer him on. Today, the crowd was mostly silent, adding a handful of boos.

Imigie, who was waiting for Cody, quickly hid the near smirk she had on her face. She found it quite funny that Cody received only a fraction of the reaction that he usually had before.

After he gotten to Imigie's side, the two walked to the ring, both still holding their titles. Neither one of them spoke to each other.

After they got into the ring, the bell rung again, signaling for Lillian Garcia to announce the competitors.

"Introducing the challengers, first, Tyson Kidd and Natalya!"

The Hart duo rose their hands in the air, and the boos followed in a reply. The other two teams chuckled quietly over the couple getting booed.

"Their opponent, Damien Sandow and AJ Lee!"

The team in question stopped chuckling then smiled to the crowd. AJ began skipping around the area of the ring, but the crowd just booed heavily.

"And introducing the champions, Cody Rhodes and Imigie!"

"Imigie!" chanted the crowd, most of them were barely paying any attention to Cody.

The two held their titles high up in the air for a good ten seconds before looking down at their own respective titles, as if giving a mournful goodbye to their titles, just for extra measure. With the match close to commencing, unexpected things could happen.

The two superstars then handed their titles to the referee, who held up high up in the air for everyone to see what exact titles the match was for. After that, the referee handed the titles to Lillian, who went to put them close to the timekeeper. The titles were on the table close by the timetable, waiting for whoever would win to take them.

After that, the huge steel cell was slowly coming down to the floor, the three tag teams looking up in awe. The women though had a sliver more determination shown on their faces, given that this is what stipulation they were fighting in, as a huge step to allow women more brutal matches.

After about thirty seconds, the Cell touched the floor with a light thud, entrapping the six competitors and the referee. The match was extremely close to commencing.

The three teams turned to their respective partners, in a discussion on who should start first. However, if a female had chosen to start first, all the women had to get in. Unsurprising to anyone, Imigie was the first to offer to start. This meant that AJ and Natalya had to start.

The three men were getting to their respective parts of the apron and the three women were in the ring, waiting anxiously to start.

DING! DING! DING!

It was time for the match to start. Out of righteous anger, Imigie was the first to start a hit, nearly starting a brawl with AJ. Natalya was laughing for a moment but was stopped short when she was kicked down by Imigie. It seemed like Imigie was in no mood to just stand around like the other two were.

Natalya pulled Imigie, giving her a German suplex in the process. AJ ran to give Natalya a beating, but Imigie pulled her leg, enough to stumble the other petite superstar and caused her to fall.

Natalya grumbled when she turned to see the cheeky smile on Imigie's face. Of course, something in her had ignited the possum.

"This is gonna be fun," taunted Natalya to Imigie as she got her back to her feet. "Isn't it? Should I narrate this- "

Natalya was interrupted when Imigie gave her a hard sucker punch. She shuddered at the impact, which hurt a lot. She realized that maybe taunting the new attitude of the Women's Champion was not even close to being an idea. The lesson never fully sunk in during their last encounter, and with AJ in the mix.

The three men had their mouths hung open in shock at the sucker punch from the Women's Champion. It seemed to them that she was currently not in the best mood to be played with. To them, it seemed like an easier job for them to do, unlike the girls who usually liked to take a brattier approach.

AJ had gotten back on her feet, skipping around the area of the ring with a smile on her face. She was doing this to taunt her opponents and was now on her own little world, barely paying attention on what else was going on besides her own skipping.

Much to AJ's surprise, she was knocked down by a superkick from Imigie. AJ realized that it seemed like this time, Imigie had gotten more ruthless. She expected the latter to attack her more, but instead, the raven-haired superstar tagged in Cody.

AJ was now struggling to pick herself up to reach to Damien to tag him in. To her though, this meant as a perfect opportunity to try something that would indeed surprise everyone. After crawling another few inches, she reached Damien's outstretched hand, then tagged him in the match.

It was now Cody, Damien, and Tyson in the ring. The three were ready to square up with each other, maybe in more of a dignified manner than the girls earlier.

The guys though weren't aware that AJ had jumped out of the apron and was now skipping around the perimeter of the ring, barely grazing the steel wires of the cell. AJ's real intentions had her looking between the blonde and the black-haired woman on who should would take down. She gave both women a careful glance before stopping behind the raven-haired woman.

AJ let out a quiet chuckle before pulling the other woman down by the legs. The latter landed back first on the mat, eyes wide with surprise before she smirked. Was she laughing?

AJ wondered about her next move when she felt herself get thrown against the cell. She had a feeling it would be Imigie. She looked up and it was. She wasn't surprised at all.

Imigie continued throwing AJ around like a rag doll, much to her own amusement. Despite that, she did see from the corner of her eye that Natalya was making her way to the two women.

Thinking quickly, Imigie threw AJ to Natalya, basically using the former as a weapon. Both Natalya and AJ were down and Imigie just smirked.

The three men in the ring turned to see the commotion. Now they were sure that the women took a much less dignified approach in battling each other. They just laughed before turning back to each other to continue with the match. They were better off to let the girls brawl away. It seemed that Imigie and AJ were getting the most heated with each other.

Cody in particular just laughed at the thought of how both AJ and Imigie were still on with their unfinished business. Could it end? He wasn't sure.

He had just kicked Damien then went to pin him. Tyson managed to grab hold of Damien's leg, pulling him away from Cody.

Outside of the ring, Natalya was looking under the ring for a weapon, one to give to her husband and the other to use for herself. She found a few chairs and two sledgehammers then went to pull them out from under the ring, smiling to herself. She gave two of the chairs and one sledgehammer to Tyson. He nodded to her, thanking her for finding them. Now, this match would get more interesting.

Natalya picked up the second sledgehammer, now turning her direction to Imigie. She was ready to strike when Imigie stopped her in midair. The latter took one long look at the sledgehammer, then she yanked it from Natalya's hand, striking her to the gut. Natalya groaned at the impact.

Imigie laughed before turning her direction to AJ. She had unfinished business with that woman who hated a particular "c" word. Imigie raised the sledgehammer then hit AJ on the back, stumbling the latter.

After three hits, Imigie dropped the sledgehammer then picked up the remaining chair that Natalya had pulled out earlier. A smile perked up on Imigie's face as she turned to Natalya, hitting her with the chair. She nailed five chair shots before picking up the Canadian superstar then powerbombing her to the cell, causing part of the cell to break.

The men were nearly distracted by the brutal onslaught of a brawl delivered by the WWE Women's Champion. It seemed to them that now, she was not here for games. It was like watching the fire spark within her. The only thing that could change that would match would easily be her hair color.

Imigie dragged AJ out of the cell and to the announce table where Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and JBL were at. No one knew what she had in mind.

Imigie climbed up a few feet up the cell, making sure she had enough distance to inflict plenty of damage, but not high enough for the impact to possibly kill her. She was determined to get out of this one alive. She counted to three then jumped from the cell, executing a leg drop to AJ, causing the table to break.

Back in the ring, Cody had just planted Tyson to the mat before Damien kicked him to the ground. The match had so far been absolute war for the three men, but none of them could even imagine what kind of brawl was going on with the women.

Cody kicked Damien in the gut, then quickly got back on his feet. He positioned Damien for his finisher, the Cross Rhodes. Next second, Damien was out and showed no signs of getting up anytime soon.

Cody sensed his chance to pin Damien, but before he could pull up Damien's leg, he felt himself being pulled away. It was no surprise to him that it was Tyson.

Cody tried to break away from Tyson's grasp, but Tyson was faster. Before he knew it, Cody found himself stuck in Tyson's submission, the Sharpshooter. He struggled to try to find a way out of the submission and he was sure it wouldn't get any easier.

Imigie had just finished her onslaught beatdown when she saw that her tag partner was in trouble. Even though she strongly disliked what Cody had said about the potential for this match before, she was considerate enough to at least try to help him out of the submission.

Thinking quickly, the WWE Women's Champion picked up the sledgehammer that was on the ground then got in the ring. However, before she could make a move with the weapon, she watched the unthinkable happen. She watched Cody tap the mat.

Cody Rhodes had tapped out.

The raven-haired woman sunk down to the ground then looked up to watch Natalya stumble her way back into the ring to receive her half of the titles.

"Here are your winners by submission, and new WWE Mixed Tag Team Champions, Tyson Kidd and Natalya!"

The cell was now being lifted as Damien and AJ got up to their feet then left the ring. Both were equally upset by the loss.

After the cell was finished being lifted, Tyson and Natalya left the ring, holding the titles with smiles on their faces. The crowd though gave them a mixed reception of boos and some cheers.

The only ones still in the ring though were Cody and Imigie. Both of them faced each other and at first couldn't muster up the courage to speak. Cody's face was etched with that familiar pain that Imigie remembered seeing long ago and it haunted her like it did before. Imigie's face though was etched with grief that even she couldn't explain.

"I'm so sorry," Cody said before turning away, unable to bear watching Imigie's grief-stricken expression.

Imigie got back to her feet, now having intense thoughts racing through her head. She was beginning to have doubts on her friendship with Cody. She was there to support him, but he wasn't? None of it made sense to her. She didn't know what to do and was left to ponder it all for a good while before coming up with a decision.

Cody was now beginning to regret not seeing Imigie in time before he tapped out. Had he'd seen her before he'd make such a drastic decision, he would've at least tried to hold on a little longer. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do now. He couldn't erase the past.

He, too, got back on his feet. He thought about maybe hiding himself somewhere private where he could just disappear from everyone for the rest of the event. That would be easier for him to do instead of facing everyone, including his own tag partner.

Cody was just about to get out of the ring when he felt someone pull him back in. The next thing to happen was that he felt someone's boot knock him down, knocking the wind out of him for a moment. He was surprised by this sudden attack. He slowly turned his head to see the dangerous look on Imigie's face. He realized that she was the one who attacked him.

Imigie gave several punches to Cody for about thirty seconds until she finished that. However, her entire dirty work wasn't finished. She positioned Cody for the same move she had done to AJ earlier in the Women's Championship match, then planted her now former mixed tag team partner to the mat. The Faith Breaker was quickly becoming Imigie's favorite signature move, paying homage to one of her main idols, Michelle McCool.

The WWE Women's Champion didn't expect to hear the roaring cheers from her assault on Cody Rhodes. She just smiled to the audience then looked down at her wavy black hair. She gave one long look at it before a thought came to her head.

"There's a new fire ignited in Searing Sorrow," she said softly. "The raven transforms herself into a phoenix. She's fire with her own edge. Now, this calls for a makeover."

She looked back at the audience again, the crowd still cheering for her. The referee handed her the women's title. She took it without a word, but she did give him a nod before turning back to the audience once again. She rose the WWE Women's Championship title in the air, showing that now, she was the dominant superstar. She felt no regret for what she had done.

For the first time, hell had broken loose, igniting the fire from the raven, which now created a phoenix. There was a new form of faith for the superstar who was now on her new mission. She would make her own name for herself in a way that no one expected before. She called it Searing Sorrow's Fire, and no one could tell her anything different. She was on her own, which she didn't mind at all. She knew she would have to explain herself on Raw tomorrow, and she knew exactly what to say.

This was just only the beginning for the new awakened attitude of the superstar who would begin to take massive risks to make herself a bigger star than she already was.

 **...**

 **Hey guys! So, the original plan was to have Cody Rhodes do the turning against stuff. However, after watching Becky Lynch's "heel" turn back in August, I couldn't pass up an opportunity of a similar thing for our main character here. It should be fun though.**

 **Another thing I'll mention is that now, I'm considering on writing the next book in this series all in third person. I mentioned in another story that lately, it seems that my writing is really at its best in third person.**

 **Here's another thing. If you remember Ghost Whistles, I'm in the process of making a prequel to it to explain why the random crap happened. At the same time, I'm still working on the next chapter of my Until Dawn fanfic. In fact, I'm thinking about making a major change to the Until Dawn fanfic.**

 **And also, somewhere in the next book in the Silent Darkness series, there will be two major changes to our main character here. You'll just have to wait and see what that big change will be. And you'll probably ask me why refer to her as "our main character" sis? You'll wait and see. I will say that one of her wrestling moves will play a huge part in one of the two major changes for the main character. May happen sooner than later. Who knows? LOL!**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading this story! I already have a title put together for the next book in this series, but I won't mention it. You'll see when I post it. Love ya, guys! :D**


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